Collapsible cardboard structure



Aug. 10,1943. v, HORR 2,326,648

COLLAPSIBLE CARDBOARD STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 12, 1942 INVENTOR JohnVflon" BY M ATTOR Y5 Patented Aug. 10, 1943 "2,326,643 e 7 OOLLAPSIBLcanpnoaiuiSTRUCTURE- M i JehnV. Horr, North Tarrytown, N. assignor toEinson -Freeman 00., Inc, Long Island City,

' N.'Y.-, a corporation of Delaware Y J Application September 12, 1942,Serial-No.458,131

' 2 Claims, (Cl. 312-1402) My present: invention relates generallylapsible cardboard structures. l

It is ageneralobject-of my invention to' provide astructure which isadapted to be'used a a serving bar, i. e., a device which may be causedto assume an upright position, on the floor and provided with ahorizontal supporting surface or bar top upon which-bottles, glasses,and other paraphernalia may be rested tozfacilitate the serving ofdrinks or the'like.,. The present structure is v staunch and ruggedinconstruction, and maybe used on repeated, occa )A more particularobject of my invention is to provide a device which may be inexpensivelymanufactured of cardboard or its equivalent,

which allows this section tobulge forwardly at V the sides toform convexside, portions on the front wall of the device'whenthe structure is setup; and the bartop, memberis provided with a; free edge which conformsto this convexity so that the various parts may be mutually braced in asimple yet emcient mannenf The structure ispreferably. provided with asecond bracing member; similar to the bar top member, but hinged to thebacksection at a lower region,

thereby bracing the structure in, a desirable manner atthe' lowerpartthereof .i ,A particular feature of my invention resides thereby makingit possible to sell the item at a low price-or to award it as a premiumforjad vertising or similar purposes. 7

A further object of my invention is to pro.-

. vide a structure which maybe readily adjusted from a substantiallycompact collapsed condition into a rigidifie'd sturdy set-upcondition,and vice versa. This permits the structure, when collapsed, to beefficiently stored or shipped in a minimum amount of space. I

The present improved structure consists essentially of front and backsections which are hingedly connected so. that they may be collapsedtogether jinto superposed collapsed condition, or readily v adjusted,into separated relationship to form an upright tubular body adaptedto-rest firmly on the floor. Associated with this body structure is amember which is so shaped that it may be wedged into an operativeposition spanning the gap at the top of the tubular body, therebyiorminga bar top or serving surface, These elements areso constructed andarrangedwith respect to meanother, and with respect to certaincooperating bracing elements, that the procedures involved in collapsingthe device or adjusting it in set-up position are extremely simple andmay be carried out'even by unskilled persons;

In the preferred embodiment of my inven tion, the member which serves asthe bar top is permanently hinged to atleast one of the front and backsections so that it may be swung from an inoperative substantiallyvertical position to an operative substantially horizontal position.Preferably this bar top is hingedlyconnected to the backsection of thestructure,- near the top.

The preferred embodiment'of the invention in the provision of a meanswhichibecomes auto matically operative, when the structure is set I upto adjust the front and backsections into separated set-up relationship.Thisjis preferably accomplished by a toggle link associated,

in' a special 'manner with the bar top member.

A similar toggle link may be used to advantageinzassociation with thelower bracing member.

A -further feature of my. inventionresides in the provision of at leastone transverse brace which lies beneath and affords a strong; supportfor the horizontal bar 13 ,1 When the st'ruc ture isset up. A similartransversebraceis preferablyprovided beneath the lower bracing" member,and the transverse brace at @the lower portionofv the structuretis offurtherutility in strengthening ,-and rigidif ying}the structure atthe-floorflevel. Y n .7 M: I achieve the foregoing general: objects, andsuch other objects as may hereinafter appear orfbe pointed out,in.thevmanneriillustmtively e m q n thes accompanying drawin i Figure vention,shown in set-up condition; I

Figure 2 is across-sectional view takenfsubstantially along the line 2-7-2 of Figure 1;

v Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure'2 -show bar top beingpartlybrovice shown in Figure 1.

;The bo'dy portion of the structure composed 1 is a-perspective'view ofa structure 7 constructed in accordance with the present in is a'planview of thestructure, in

cross-sectional view taken, sub= structure as a whole.

of a substantially rectangular rear panel l0, and a wider substantiallyrectangular element ll whose end portions 12 are secured,by adhesivemeansor otherwise, to the opposite margins of the panel Ill. Verticalscore lines l3 are provided in the element H at the opposite sides ofthe structure. These score lines are so positioned that the linealdistance between them, measured along the element l I, is substantiallyequal to the lineal distance between them, measured around the rear ofthe device. therefore be said to divide thestructure into front and backsections hingedly connected at the sides. By the term ffront section itwill be understood that reference is made to that por- 7 tion of theelement II which lies between the score lines l3; and by the term backsection, it will be understood that reference is made, as a unit, to therear panel I0 and to those portions of the element H which lierearwardly of the scorelines l3.fi-'

-"Because of the fact that the width of the front section, when laidflat, is thus substantially equal to the width of-the-back section, whenlaid-flat,

it follows that the front and back sections may be collapsed togetherinto substantially superposed relationship. This is 'the relationshipwhich they assume when the structure as a whole iscollapsed. When itis-set up, the front and backsections assume the 'separatedrelationshipshown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, thereby forming an upright tubular body.1

Adjacent to the score lines l3, the-front'section is preferably providedwith a series of close- 1y spaced vertical scorings whichallow the frontisection to bulge forwardly in the convex manner shown in ,thedrawingwhen the'device isset up. This imparts an attractive appearance to theThe element i4 adapted to serve as a bar top, is hinged to the backsection near the upper edge of the latter. This is preferablyaccomplished by providing the member 14 with a rear e'xtensipn 15 whichis in hinged relationto the member 14 and which is secured, by adhesivemeans or otherwise, to: the upper part 'of the rear panel I0.-,-Thisallows the member I4 to be swung from an inoperative positionsubstantially parallel to the rear panel l0 into an operativesubstantially horizontal position} The operative position is indicatedin Figures 1, 2 and 4. In FigureBythe member I4 is shown in anupwardly-adjusted positionfbut it will beunderstood that a completecollapse of the structure will bring-the member l4 into-substantially avertical plane. The relationship of parts shown in Figure} (and Thesescore lines l3 may fact that the member l4, during its adjustment intothe operative position of Figure 2, automatically brings about aseparation of the front and back sections. This is preferablyaccomplished by a toggle link [1. This link is hinged at its forward endto the front section of the tubular body, and at its rear end to themid-portion of the me ber M. Thi y e accp pl s d y proi i ia rear attahment l p '8 on th link ll, this flap being secured to the underside ofthe member l4, and by providing a similar forward attachment flap I9on-the link 11, the flap I9 I being secured to the rear'surface ofthefront seetion ll, The parts are so constructed that the rear hingeline 20 is exactly at the center of themember ld, while the hinge line2| is in horizontal alignment with the hinge line 16. As

a result, the link I! and the rear portion ofthe carried out, a handholeshown'also in dot-and-dslsh lines inl ligureli) inupper marginofthe-front section, and the parts are thus -heldin' mutually bracedrelationship.

Moreover, the upstandingedges ofthe front and 1 back sections afford anattractive and "useful guard rail to prevent articlesfrom inadvertentlysliding or falling fromwthe bar top when the str'uctureis used. sf

Oneof the features of 'my invention in the til horizontal position,shown in Figure *2.

member l4 serve as toggle braces, so that when the member I4 is swungdownwardly, the front and rear'sections of the'.'bodyiare mechanicallyforced apart until ultimately thefmember ll lies "flat, as shown inFigure 2",Iand the attachment flap lBis in horizontal alignment with thetoggle'link l1... 1 a g In accordance with my invention, at least onetransverse brace is provided to afford extra supportfor the bar top I4.Preferably, two spaced braces are provided, and. they mayadvantageouslybe formed as integral parts of the a ttach- 'ment flap-l9.,One such-brace consists of the strip 22 which is hinged at 23 to oneside-of the flap l9, and secured at its rear end, as 'at '24,'to

the rear panel 10; The strip is made collapsible by theoprovision. of ascore line 25 at itsmidportion, A similar bracing strip 25' is arrangedat the cpposite'side of the attachment nap I9.

Each of the braces 22 and 26 is so positioned that when the structure isset up the upperedge of the bracing strip lies in a horizontal planesubstantially coincident with the hinge lines- I6 andil, whereby the bartop may rest firm-1y against these transverse braceewhen the structureisdsedi 1 l 'io afford access to the underside of the memher 54,, sothat this member may be prishedup wardly when a efthe structure is to beI is provided in the rear panel 59 directly beneat" the hinge line l5. 1

l The structure may-be i ntly reinforced in the lower regionwith an a; N.1315 of parts sim ilar to those just described. Thus, the member i4 isin one sense a racing m rnherwhieh spans the gap at the rep at thetubular body and which assumes ar infor'cing wedged position between thefront back section's when the structure is set up.

A similar'bracing member is provided in -tlie' :l'ewer par-t er" thestructure, this hinged at 25 to the rear panel and being adaptedtQSWH'lQ vertical 'pe'sition intof'the ope n at-subs tantia' ly ivesubstantially The member 23 if desired, form an integral part of therear panel it as indicated in the present die-wing. The n".

and is adapted to assume thewedgedbraeing V posi icn'shcvin in Fig-ureawhen'the structure is v Preferabhgthe nee; rber -25 is associated w th atogg-le link 8-8 and with transverse colizipsible braces-3i and'fl,these various elements 7 bein associatedwith one another and functioning in substantially the same manner as hereinbefore describedinconnectien with the bai" top memberll. =It should behoted, however;that rn-ber 2 8 has a free edge which conforms to the convexity of therrant-section,

the braces 3i and 32 extend all the way to the floor level, and thatthese braces thereby afford not only a bracing support for the member 28but a reinforcement of the foundation of the structure at the fioorlevel.

In order to make it easy to adjust the member 28 upwardly, when acollapse of the structure is to be carried out, the member 28 'ispreferably provided with a hand hole 33.

It will thus beseen that I have provided a structure of relativelysimple character, requiring for its manufacture nothing more thancardboard or equivalent sheet materiahand that the structure may bereadily adjusted betweena suba stantially fiat collapsed condition and arigidified operative condition. In setting the device up it is merelynecessary for theuser to press the members l4 and 28 forwardly untilthey assume the I positions of Figure 2; and in order to restore thepart to a collapsed relationship, it is merely necessary to insert thehand through the hole 21 and impart an upward movement to the member l4,and to grasp the member 28 with the aid of the hole 33 and to pull themember 28 upwardly ina similarmanner. Then, by merely pressing the frontand back sections of the body together,

, ative substantially vertical position into an operative substantiallyhorizontal position spanning the entire structure readily collapses intoa sub-.

stantially fiat condition. y

In general, it will be understood that the de tails herein described andillustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of the inventionmay be modified by those skilled in the art withor to be separated todefine a tubular body, a bar top member hinged to the upper part of theback 7 section and adapted to be swung from an inoperative substantiallyvertical position into an operative substantially horizontal positionspanning the gap at the top-of said body when the structure is set up,and means controlled by said member as it is swung into operativeposition for ad- :justing the'front and back sections into separatedset-up relationship, said means comprising a. toggle link hinged at itsforward end to the upper part of the front section and hinged at itsrear end to the midportion of said bar'top mem-' ber. f

2. A collapsible to be used as a serving bar, comprising upright frontand back sections hingedly connected at the sides to allow them to becollapsed together or to be separated to define a tubulanbody, avba'rtop member hinged to the upper part of the back section and adapted tobe swung from an inoper-,

the gap at the top of 'saidbody when the structure is set up; meanscontrolled by said member as it is swung intofoperative position foradjusting the n front and back sections intoseparate'd set-uprelationship, said means comprising a toggle link hinged at its forwardendto the upper part of the front section andat its rear end tothemidportion of said bar top'member, and at least one transverse braceextending between the front and back sections and adapted to affordsupport for the bar top member when the latter is swung into operativeposition, said brace comprising a collapsible strip hingedly connectedat its ends to the front and back sections'gsaid brace and toggle linkbeing portions of a single cardboard piece.

' v JOHN V. H ORR. V

front and back sections hingedly connected at;

the sides to allow them to be collapsed together j cardboard structureadapted I

